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In 1880, Thomas Edison strung a series of electric lights outside his laboratory during the Christmas season. He had only invented the first practical incandescent light bulb the year prior, and while his festive display was simple, it got people talking.
The jump to tree lighting came two years later in 1882, thanks to Edward H. Johnson, Edison’s colleague and business associate. Johnson hand-wired 80 small bulbs in red, white, and blue, wrapping them around a Christmas tree in his New York City home. To make the display even more striking, he mounted the tree on a motorized platform so it revolved.
Edward H. Johnson's Christmas tree in 1882. Image used courtesy of the Bowery Boys
Early Adoption: High Costs and Hesitation
While Johnson’s Christmas tree lights drew in widespread media coverage, they faced many barriers to adoption. The cost was a major one. Even two decades later, in the 1900s, lighting an average tree with electric lights could cost upwards of $2,000 in today’s currency. This wasn’t just the price of the bulbs; installation often required hiring an electrician to handle the wiring.
Beyond the expense, the public was wary of electricity itself. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, electricity was still a novelty, and people feared the potential for shocks, fires, or malfunctions. For many, the risks outweighed the benefits of abandoning candles for electric bulbs.
General Electric's earliest known advertisement for Christmas tree "lamps" appeared in the November 28, 1900 edition of Scientific American Magazine. Image used courtesy of Bill and George Nelson's Antique Christmas Lights Museum
However, some key events helped change public perception. In 1895, President Grover Cleveland decorated the White House Christmas tree with hundreds of electric bulbs, demonstrating their potential for large-scale displays.
The Cleveland family Christmas tree in 1896. Image used courtesy of the White House Historical Association
By 1903, General Electric began selling pre-assembled lighting kits, making the technology more approachable for consumers.
The Rise of Commercial Christmas Lights
A turning point came in 1917 when teenager Albert Sadacca pitched the idea of selling brightly colored light strands for home use. Until then, electric lights were plain white and generally unappealing for festive use.
Sadacca commercialized his idea through his family's novelty lighting company, and his colorful lights quickly caught on. Sadacca helped form the National Outfit Manufacturers Association (NOMA), a consortium of Christmas light manufacturers. For decades, NOMA dominated the market, standardizing production and marketing electric lights to a growing number of households. NOMA’s success coincided with broader developments in manufacturing, such as mass production techniques that reduced costs and made electric lights affordable for the average family.
Albert Sadacca’s patent, "Electric Lighting Device," November 18, 1930. Image used courtesy of Google Patents
By the mid-1900s, pre-assembled strings of lights became widely available in department stores. No longer a luxury item, they turned into a household staple for holiday decor. Advances in bulb design played a significant role in its adoption as bulbs became smaller, cooler, and safer, addressing the fire risks posed by earlier versions. String lengths increased, offering greater flexibility for decorating larger trees and homes. Over time, these innovations solidified the place of electric lights as a fixture of Christmas tradition.
The LED Revolution
One of the most dramatic changes in Christmas lighting came with the development of LEDs in the late 20th century. Not only were they a major advancement in terms of safety, but they were also much more energy-efficient, durable, and versatile. Unlike incandescent bulbs, LEDs consume a fraction of the electricity, last tens of thousands of hours, and don’t generate much heat.
LEDs have also expanded the creative possibilities of holiday lighting. They come in a broader range of colors and can be programmed for complex patterns or synchronized light shows. Today, smart LEDs add a layer of interactivity to Christmas lighting. With Wi-Fi-enabled systems, you can create custom patterns, schedule on/off times, or sync lights to music for dazzling synchronized displays.
Over the last century, electric Christmas lights have gone from luxury novelties looked upon with skepticism to something you’ll find in most households. For many, they’re more than just decorations that are nice to look at; they’re symbols of holiday cheer. From small, intimate displays to grand orchestrated light shows, they help bring warmth and brightness to an otherwise cold and dark time of year.
